Édgar Ramírez Is the Front-Runner to Play Villain in STAR TREK 2; Jordi Mollà also Being Considered

It’s going to be tough for me to find a way past Khan being the villain in J.J. Abrams‘ Star Trek 2(unconfirmed at this point, but looking likelier by the day), and having a talented actor like Benicio Del Toro pass on the movie doesn’t make matters any better. However, another excellent choice is now in the mix. Variety reports that Carlos star Édgar Ramírez is now the frontrunner to play the villain, with Jordi Mollà (the bad guy from Bad Boys 2) also in the mix. So you have three Hispanic actors connected to a villain role that no one will officially say is Khan even though Khan was originally played by a Hispanic actor (Ricardo Montalban). Sigh.

Hit the jump for more. Alice Eve and Peter Weller have already signed on to join the returning cast. Star Trek 2 opens in 3D on May 17, 2013.

Mollà struck me as a little cartoonish in Bad Boys 2 (then again, so does everything in Bad Boys 2), but Ramírez is the next great acting phenom that Hollywood is shamefully overlooking. His performance in Carlos is unforgettable, and he deserves to star in a major movie like Star Trek 2. Unfortunately, if he gets the role it will always be contrasted against Montalban’s portrayal (presuming the villain is Khan and it probably is). Variety says Ramírez will test for the role via Skype either later today or early tomorrow, and Abrams expects to make a decision before the weekend. Scheduling may be an issue for Ramírez, and Abrams reportedly won’t consider any actor who might be unavailable. Filming is set to take place from January through June.

Ramírez will next be seen playing Ares in the Clash of the Titans sequel, Wrath of the Titans. Mollà recently co-starred in the Zoe Saldana action flick Colombiana.